In many ways, this election, like the 2016 election before it, is a moral calculation for Christians. Do we vote for a man whose character is lacking, whose words and actions are unbecoming of the office he holds, but whose policies have helped advance principles upon which Christians depend? Or do we vote for the candidate who is stable, whose rhetoric would hopefully unite us rather than divide, but whose policies would undermine all of the things Christians claim to believe in and love?
Some look at this predicament and argue that the choice between President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is really between immediate and long-term success. Trump’s reelection might be good for the church and the pro-life movement right now, but a Biden presidency would bring back the decency and stability that a conservative culture needs to thrive.
But immediate actions have long-term consequences, and the pro-choice policies that a Biden administration would implement would not only undo the Trump administration’s pro-life gains, but also bolster and encourage a culture that is already hostile to the pro-life movement. For that same reason, why should the church feel comfortable electing a man whose running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, openly suggested that a judicial nominee was unfit for the role because of the person’s Catholic faith? Are we supposed to believe a vice president like that would help create a culture that welcomes and celebrates people of faith?
If anything, we should believe the opposite. Biden might claim to be a moderate, but the policies that his party now proposes would push the entire federal government towards leftism and away from religious freedom and respect for human life. Liberals want to pack the Supreme Court with leftist judges who would permanently prevent pro-life victories and make sure Christians such as Colorado baker Jack Phillips are forced to obey wokeism. They want to get rid of the Senate’s filibuster and make Washington, D.C., a state in order to jam liberal policies through Congress and make them the law of the land.
These are policies that would permanently alter the structure of government and create a culture in which leftism is king — and Biden refuses to condemn either. Until he does (or, perhaps, even if he does), Christians should recognize what’s at stake. There is nothing to gain from a Biden presidency — and a lot to lose. Biden will not stand in the way of his party’s pro-abortion ambitions. He’s already flipped positions on the Hyde Amendment (taxpayer funding of abortion), and his vice president admitted during the primaries that she supports zero restrictions on abortion access. The church would no longer be able to depend on the Justice Department for help when debates over religious freedom arise, and we’d likely see far more Christians in court fighting for their rights than we do now.
I understand the decision not to vote for Trump. Character matters, and Christians should not pretend that Trump’s behavior won’t stain the presidency and enable this country’s worst impulses. It is for this reason I chose not to vote for Trump in 2016, and in some ways, the past four years have proved me right.
But I do not understand the decision to vote for Biden, a man who, even if he has the right temperament for the job, lacks the spine to stand up to the worst parts of his party. Put simply, a vote for Biden is a vote against the Hyde Amendment. A vote for Biden is a vote for Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate. A vote for Biden is a vote for a party that embraces abortion extremism, fights against religious freedom when that freedom clashes with its woke agenda, and threatens to cement itself into power permanently.
The first threat (that of abortion extremism) should weigh on our minds the most. As Christians, we are called to uphold the sanctity of life and defend human dignity. I agree that abortion is not the only policy debate that matters. There are questions of economic policy, healthcare, foreign affairs, racial injustice, and immigration that demand attention as well. But how can we wade through the nuance these questions require if we cannot uphold the fundamental principle on which they all depend?
In other words, the choice really isn’t between Biden or Trump; it’s whether to vote for Trump or not to vote. There is a Christian argument against Trump, but there is no Christian argument for Biden. There is no pro-life case for Biden. It just does not exist.
